THE CAP on the number of wheelchair accessible hackney carriages in Middlesbrough is to be lifted.

The move has been condemned by Rasub Afzal, a Middlesbrough taxi driver for more than 20 years, who says it will mean even tougher times ahead for the town’s hackney carriage drivers.

At present there are 373 hackney carriages licensed in Middlesbrough - 190 of them are wheelchair accessible.

Dave Budd, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive councillor for regeneration and economic development, has decided to lift the temporary cap introduced in 2008 on the number of wheelchair accessible hackney carriages.

He approved a report from council officers which said the open issue policy was in line with department of Transport Best Practice Guidance.

“Though there may be fears within the trade that overall numbers will rise, in general market conditions are best placed to determine appropriate numbers.”

Ed Chicken, the council’s head of community protection, said in the past when there had been a cap on numbers, applicants refused a hackney carriage licence had successfully appealed to the magistrates’ court.

Councillor Ken Walker told Councillor Budd he was concerned at the open issue policy.

“If the cap is lifted there is a real unknown. We have a massive downturn in the economy and an increase in numbers could be to the detriment of the standards we expect from the taxi trade,” he said.

Councillor Brian Hubbard added: “I am also concerned. This may saturate the market.”

Cllr Budd said there was nothing in the proposal that would result in a reduction of quality or standards.

On balance he considered it was right to lift the cap.”

Mr Afzar, a committee member of the Middlesbrough Hackney Carriage Association, told the Gazette after the decision: “What will happen now is that people who think taxi drivers make a lot of money will put new vehicles on the road and then they will find that there is no work.

“Where we once had two jobs an hour we now get one job an hour. In the future we will be getting one job every two hours.

“This is a very bad decision for the hackney carriage trade. There is no business left out there. Everyone is under tension. Fuel and insurance is going up and the only ones to benefit is the council which gets almost £500 a year for each new plate it issues.”